Apparatus for making thin boiling starch.



c orion THEODOR E. BREYER, OF .NTAUKEGAN, ILLNOISt XPPARATUS FOR MAKNG TN '.BOLENG STARCH.

Specication of Letters Patent.

loatented March l0, 1908.

Application filed April 19, 1905. Serial No. 255,392.

To all whom fit may concern.:

Be it known that l, -THEODOR E. Buuren, a citizen of the United States, residing at lVaull-egan, county of Lake, State of illinois, 5 have invented a certain new and useful lmorovement in Apparatus for Making rfhin oiling Starch, and declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, such as will ena'. Ile others skilled in the art to which it pertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which form a part oi this speciiication.

My invention relates in general to the 5 manufacture of starch, and more particularly to apparatus for making thin boiling starch.

ln the manufacture ot thin boiling or modified starch by the action et dilute acid c upon ordinary starch, the time required may be considerably shortened .by heating the mixture to a point near, but always below the temperature at which the starch becomes pasty. lt is impossible to use steam as the 5 medium for heatingy the starch milk owing to its temperature being too great, and it is also impracticable to employ heated air on account of the low heat capacity of i have, however, discovered lthat a mixture 0 of steam and air may be used to the best advantage and that by discharging the mix ture through the starch milk no mechanical stirring device is necessary to keep the starch in suspension. y 5 The primary object of my invention is to provide an apparatus for manufacturing thin boiling starch by means oiiwhich -the starch milk may be heated to the requisite degree and the starch kept in suspension by discharging therethrough a mixture of steam and air until the. required temperature has been obtained and then discharging air alone through thestarch milk to keep the starch from settling.

' A further objectoi my invention is to pro- "vide an apparatus for 'making thin boiling starch 'which will be simple in construction, inexpensive in manufacture, and eiiicient in use.

The apparatus in which I have disclosed my invention as embodied may be generally described. as comprising two tanks into which the starch milk is pumped, conduits leading inte said tanks and having perfo rated spiders at their lower ends, means for mixing steam and air in any desired proportions to produce a heating medium of roper degree, means for delivering any desired volume ci the mixed steam and air into one or'both of said conduits, and means tor-discharging air alone into said conduits to keep thestarch in suspension after it has been heated to the proper degree.

My invention willy be more fully described hereinafterwith. reference to the accompanying drawing in which the saine is illustrated as embodied in a convenient and practical form, and in which,-

Figure 'l is an elevational view, one ci the tanks being shown in vertical section; Fig. 2 a sectional view on line 2 2 Fig. l; and Fig. 3 a detail sectional view ci the steam jet.

The same reference characters are used. to designate the same parts in the several iigures of the drawing.

Reference characters and A2 designate two tanks oi any suitable size, Cdrape, and construction. B and B2 designate pipes leading into the tanks A and PJ and throu h which the starch, which has been prr.'ious y broken into a heavy starch milk, is pumped.

C and t designate vertical conduits eX- tending downwardly n'ihin the tanks A and A2 and terminating at their lower ends in spiders, such shown in Fig. 2, composed ot one or more perforated pipes c. The upper ends oi the conduits C U2 are connected to .the horizontal conduit C. A steamjet device G ci' any suitable construction cornmunie aies with the horizontal conduit C piel? erably at a point intermediate of its ends. K is a steam pipe leading to the jet device G and provided with a controlling valve lc.

H designates an air inlet pipe which leads to the steam jet device G. Leadnig downwardly 'from the horizontal conduit il is a pipe L having a cut oill valve l therein through which water of condensation may be discharged. l

Located in the conduit C are valves G and G2 the Jformer ci which is located between the steam jet device G and the conduit C whileI the latter located between the st earnv-jet device and the conduit C2. i V

F and designate-vent pipes hexfing con,- trolling valve f" ftherein. '.lheiorinerot these vent pipes leads from the-condati'tt' 'erably a point intermediate of the valve G and the conduit C', while the other of -said vent pipes leads from a point in the conduit C between the valve G2 and the conduit C2.

L and L2 designate thermometers located uplon the conduit C intermediate of the points ere the vent pipes F and F2 communicate with the conduit C, and C and C2 respectively.

E" and E2 indicate pipes communicating with the upper ends of the conduit C and C2 respectively7 sucli pipes being in communication with a source of compressed air. Valves e and e2 are provided in the pipes E andE2 for regulating the passageway therethrough.

D and D2 indicate conduits communicating with the interior of the tanks A A2 near 'the bottoms thereof and with which communicates a delivery conduit Dv throu h which the starch is umped from the tan (s and delivered to a ii ter press or similar device for removing the surplus water re aratory to drying the starch. Valves dl, are provided in the conduits Dl and D2 for controlling the flow ol" starch from the respective tanks. The bottoms of the tanks are prefrovided with depressions d a2 into which t e ends ofthe conduits D D2 extend thereby permitting the ends of the conduits to project below the bottoms of the tanks so that all of the starch may be drained from the tanks. Thermometers Z Z2 are preferably provided on the tanks A A2 to indicate the temperature of the starch.

The manner of using and operation ofmy improved apparatus are as follows: Aheav acidulated starch milk is pumped throng the conduits B B2 into the tanks. The valve 7c is then turned so as to permit steam topass through the pipe k into the steam jet device G where it is mixed with air drawn in through the inlet pipe H. The mixed air and steam then passes through the horizontal conduit C and conduit C and C2 to the bottoms of the tanks where it is discharged through the perforations in the tubes e communicating with the lower ends of the conduits. The mixed steam and air passing through the starch milk heats the same thereby romoting the conversion of the same into t in boilingor modified starch. The mixture of steam and air also serves to keep the starch in suspension thereby avoiding the necessity of roviding mechanical stirring mechanism. he valve G and G2 permit either one or both of the tanks to be supplied with the mixed steam and air so that either tank alone may be used if desired. The valves f f2 are opened upon the iirst admission of steam and air to the conduit C so as to permit a portion of the mixture to escape and prevent the too rapid heating of the starch milk. By adjusting the position of the valves fl f2 the temperature mayI bc regulated bv permitting indicate the temperature of the mixture and serve -as a guide for the regulation of the valvesff As soon as the thermometers L L2 indicate that the starch milk has ac uired the desired temperature the mixture o air and steam is shut off by closing the valves G G2. The valves e e2 are then o ened admitting compressed air to the con uit C C2 which is discharged through the starch milk thereby reventing the settling of *the starch. en the temperature of the. starch milk inthe" tanks begins to fall the compressed air is shut off b closing the valves e e2 and the mixture o steam and air is again turned on by orplening the valves G G2... V. Vl en it is ascertained by testing that the. starch has acquired the desired property, it is' removed from the tanks through the conduits D', D2 and D by opening the valves d d2.;

From the foregoing description it will be observed that I have invented an im roved. apparatus by means of which thin. oiling starch may be conveniently and readily made and in which the desired heat is imparted to the starch milk and the starch ke t in suspension by discharging through t e same a mixture of steam and air ofthe proper tem erature.

avin now fully described my invention', what I c aim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

In an a' paratus for manufacturing thin boiling starch, the combination with a tank, of a conduit extending into and having a per# forated portion ad'acent the bottom of said tank, means for v elivering mixed lair and steam through said conduit to the interior of said tank, and means for delivering compressed air to said conduit. l

2. In an a paratus for manufacturing thin boiling'starc the combination withva tank,

of a conduit extending into and having a perfrated portion adjacent the bottom of said tank, means for delivering mixed air and steam through said conduit to the interior of air communicating with said conduit, and means for cutting ofi the delivery of mixed air and steam to said tank.

3. In an a paratus for manufacturing thin boiling starcii, the combination with a tank, of a conduit extending into and having a perforated portion adjacent the bottom of said tank, a steam jet device communicating with said conduit for delivering a mixture of steam and air thereto, a pipe for conveying'v compressed air to said conduit, and a valveA -in said conduit intermediate of said steam jet device and said pipe.

4. In an a aratus for manufacturing thin boiling starcli, the combination with a tank,

- said tank, a pipe for conveying compressed 1 2 adtwk, s, vent pipe leading' from. said cont Witnesses: duit, and i@ Vave conembng she escape of the l 0f@ cmuis exuendng into and lmvng a pazin testimony whemof, sign-this specificafoate@ panic? adjaqent .the ioqttom s?? said Lion in the presence of two Witnesses. tank., mams Lo1 dehvexmg named mr and v THEO-UGR E BREYER,

team through said condutb the interior o FRANK W. Bmw-Es,

mlidi air and steam imm s aid pipe. JAS. S. FLOQD. 

